Sweet on You (8 page)

"So how
is
it you aren't with someone?"

"Maybe I'm waiting for Catwoman, just like you're waiting for Batman."

It wasn't Batman she was waiting for—it was Antonio Rossi. Batman was flawed but, as far as she could tell, Tony was perfect. It made winning him more difficult.

But not impossible, especially if she got Daniela to agree to the Food Network deal.

"Is waiting for Catwoman worth it?" she asked Brian on a whim.

"Hell yes, but then I seem to have a thing for surly women." He dropped some bills on the counter and then stood. "Ready?"

She nodded, surprisingly reluctant to have lunch end. She shoved away the feeling, knowing it was residual from the bike ride.

Which was just as excellent on the way home.

Chapter Ten

"Look at this." Lola held up a package. "It talks, it flashes,
and
it shoots."

Daniela looked up from the doll she held in her hands. "A talking and flashing toy gun?"

"Can you believe it?" She put it back on the shelf. "When I was a kid, the fanciest toy on the market was Barbie's Corvette."

"I had Barbie's Corvette, but my brother used to steal it and have his action figures cruise in it."

"I played with blocks. Do they even have blocks anymore?"

"If they do, they sparkle and make phone calls now." Winking at her friend, Daniela dropped the doll in her cart and rolled down the aisle.

Lola strolled alongside her, hands in the pockets of her hoodie. "You never told me what we're doing here."

"We're buying things." Shopping with a friend was always more fun, and doing it before they headed to Eve's house for girls' night seemed like as good a time as any.

"I see that. But who are we buying for? Your nieces and nephews?"

"I don't have any." She tried to picture Tony with children. At one time, he'd have made a great father, but now she could only see him telling his kids not to get their sticky fingers on his five thousand dollar suit. Of course, she may have been a little biased.

The jerk.

"So...?" Lola waited expectantly.

"It's just Christmas presents for a couple kids I know." A slight exaggeration, because she didn't really
know
Jimmy and his sister, but whatever. She was responsible for them. "Does this place have clothing?"

"I think so, but it's all last season," Lola joked, pointing toward the other side of the children's store.

Although calling it a "store" was grossly understated. It was more of a warehouse, full of anything you could ever need to raise a kid.

"Thank goodness my almost-stepdaughter Madison is pretty much a teenager," Lola said as they walked through the store. "I won't have to deal with all this stuff."

"No, you just have to deal with sex and drugs." She remembered what it was like being a teenager and shuddered. "I don't envy you."

"Madison's a great kid." A brightness filled Lola's eyes. "She's got a good head on her shoulders."

"You love her," Daniela said, intrigued. She wondered how she'd feel if Nico came with a child. For all she knew, he could have one that she didn't know about. After all, it wasn't as though they really knew each other.

"You're frowning." Lola nudged her.

"I was thinking about someone."

"A man, by the look of it."

"He's all man," she said, her heart beating harder as she remembered how he'd held her. "But I just met him. I don't know anything about him."

"I bet you know more about him than you give yourself credit for." She held her hand out. "Not that there aren't details that you don't know, but details are only that and not super important. Unless he's a criminal or something."

"He's not a serial killer." At Lola's questioning look, she shrugged. "I asked."

Her friend laughed. "What else do you know about him?"

"He owns the world, and he has an empire. He's respected and feared by his colleagues. Very smart and witty." She stopped and studied a stuffed giraffe before moving on. "He's from the wrong side of the tracks, even though he wears custom-made suits now. I get the sense he's kind of a playboy too. He certainly knows his way around a woman's body."

"Fascinating." Nodding absently, Lola stared unseeingly before her. "He sounds like a mix of all the hero archetypes. The chief, the bad boy, the professor, the playboy..."

Daniela smiled at her friend. "I've read all your books, and I still have no idea what you mean."

Lola grinned apologetically. "When you create characters, it helps to have an underlying base guide for him. There are eight basic archetypes, and it sounds like your guy is a little of all of them. But there's got to be one that resonates most with him. Figure that out, and you'll know what appeals to him most."

She nodded, understanding. "I need to figure out his recipe."

"Recipe?"

"My grandmother always said everyone has a recipe, and that to understand the person, you had to know what the ingredients were."

Lola made a face as they entered the clothing department. "You know that sounds hopeless to someone who can't cook, right?"

"Yes, but cooking's my specialty."

"What's my recipe?"

Daniela didn't have to think about it. "Equal parts sugar, laughter, and love, a dash of fairy dust, and a pinch of heat. Slow baked to perfection. Serve in candlelit corners with a sprinkle of salt."

Lola stopped abruptly. "You're dead on."

"I'm good at what I do."

"Your guy doesn't stand a chance, if he's what you really want."

"Maybe." Daniela took a little pink jacket off a rack, but her thoughts were still on Nico. What she
really
wanted was the Harrison building and, based on their last conversation, so did he. She wasn't sure she could have both, in the end.

But that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy him in the meantime.

Her cell phone rang, and her heart leapt when she saw it was Ken. "Lola, I need to answer this."

Her friend nodded. "I'll be over there, drooling over the tutus."

Smiling, Daniela took the call. "Ken? Any word?"

"Yes, and it's not good."

Just as quickly, her heart plummeted. "What happened?"

"Cruz put in an offer higher than yours, also with a deposit. But he put in twenty-percent, which is insane."

She froze, unable to breathe. "What?" she managed to squeak.

"Who does that? It's crazy. The real estate is on prime land, but still." He sighed. "I took the liberty of looking up other properties for you, but I have to tell you, the prospects aren't good. Nothing is as optimal as the Harrison building. You'll have to spend a lot in renovations."

"Make another offer, with a twenty percent deposit." She thought of her bank account and winced. But she could sell her apartment in Paris if she needed. "An make an appointment for me to talk to the owner."

"I'm not sure that'll do any good. Cruz has a far-stretching reach."

"Just do it."

"Consider it done."

"Thank you." She nodded grimly.

"I wish I could offer you more hope, but battling Cruz Enterprises is a losing proposition. Maybe we could—"

"I'll take care of it when I talk to the owner. Thanks, Ken." She hung up and rejoined Lola.

Her friend's brow furrowed. "You don't look happy."

"I'm not. I need a drink." And a knife, to cut out Nico's heart—if he even had one.

"Was it the guy you're interested in?"

Daniela just growled.

Laughing, Lola patted her arm. "Let's pay for this stuff and get you to Eve's so we can pop open the champagne. You can snarl all you want there."

Snarling wasn't going to be enough. She wanted the building—and Nico's head.

The problem was, she wanted his lips, too. And his hands, and the rest of him.
Still
—even though he was undermining her dream.

Ken was right—it was crazy.

And exhilarating.

She felt the blood coursing through her, pumping her up. Sure she was livid, but she was also eager. Energized. Alive.

Ready
.

If Nico wanted a battle, she'd give it to him. She wasn't afraid to fight dirty and, after all, everything was fair.

Chapter Eleven

What was he doing there?

Nico stared at the storefront. There was no sign to indicate what it was. Inside it was dark but, looking into the window, he could see construction materials and debris.

He checked the address again. Jason had assured him this was where her office was located. Jason's research was always unquestionably thorough—it was one of the reasons he was Nico's second-in-command.

Beyond the chaos in front, there was a double door with a light shining from under it. Contractors? Or was Daniela back there? He knocked on the door and waited.

No answer.

He reached for the doorknob and tried it. To his surprise, the door opened. He walked in, carefully making his way to the double doors.

Even before he pushed open the door, he heard Frank Sinatra singing. The air smelled warm and sweet, and he knew without a doubt that Daniela was the one inside.

Excitement surged through him, not unlike when he made his first business conquest. Stronger, though—a potent mix of the hunt and the thrill of victory.

Because he intended to win, the building as well as this game he and Daniela were playing.

Pushing the swinging door, he stood in the entry. The kitchen looked like it was at the end of a remodel. The walls hadn't been painted yet, and there was still plastic covering the cabinet surfaces. After a cursory, professional survey, his attention focused on the main attraction.

She stood at the large island in the center, head bent, rolling what looked like dough. Her hair was piled on her head, but a few curls had escaped, wildly free around her heart-shaped face. The only spot of messiness was a dab of flour on her cheek. Her arms were bare, a white apron the only visible article of clothing.

He thought about her wearing nothing but that utilitarian apron—give or take a pair of heels. He hummed, liking the image. He'd have to make sure that happened.

As an entrepreneur, he was cautious when entering a new partnership. This situation wasn't any different. However, it wasn't a matter of
whether
or
not
. It was
how far did he take it
, and
when did he stop
?

Now was definitely not the time to stop.

He stepped into the kitchen.

Daniela's head popped up, her brow furrowed and barely-leashed fury in her eyes. When she registered who he was, the fury erupted. "You
bastard
. Did you come here to gloat?"

She'd gotten the news, then. He smiled without any humor. "I don't know why I came here."

"Well, you're not welcome." She slammed her fist into the dough. "Unless you've come to say you're sorry."

"No."

"Then get out before I hit you." She brandished the rolling pin at him. "Because you're a jerk. You know how much I want that building and still you're bidding against me."

"Maybe I want it badly, too," he replied mildly, standing across the counter from her.

"You can have any building you want. You don't need that one."

He did, for Eddie, but he wasn't going to get into that.

Daniela glared at him. "You're still here."

"Yes."

Her eyes narrowed, and then before he could react, he was hit on the chest by a blob of dough.

"Sugar cookies are always a crowd pleaser," she said with a satisfied smirk, already rolling another ball in her hand.

He watched, mesmerized by her graceful movements. The urge to have those hands on him surprised him.

Not that he wasn't a physical person. He was, and sex served a purpose. He took care of his needs and was never lacking.

But this yearning was new to him. He normally didn't fantasize about a woman this way, especially one who wanted his balls for another reason other than her own pleasure. Although the way Daniela looked now, he figured cutting off his balls would give her great pleasure.

She lifted the other ball of dough.

"I don't recommend doing that," he warned.

She threw it at him like she was a major league pitcher.

This time, he ducked and charged around the counter. Before she could react, he grabbed her by the waist, turning her around and pinning her against the counter.

"Let me go, damn it." She struggled against him.

"Not until you promise to stop trying to maim me with cookie dough."

"Cookie dough is my secret weapon." She tried to wrestle herself loose.

Her ass wiggled against him, and the feeling shot straight to his head. Unable to help himself, he nuzzled the side of her neck, inhaling her sugary scent. "I think you're wrong about what your secret weapon is."

She growled, but her head tipped to one side. "This isn't going to make me go all docile, you know. I'm not going to just walk away from what I want."

"Good." He placed a kiss there, the lightest brush of his lips, even though he wanted to sink his teeth into her.

Seeing a bowl of melted chocolate in front of them, he dragged his finger in the chocolate and smeared a bit on her exposed neck, licking it clean. "Delicious," he murmured, doing it again.

She arched into him, gasping. "
Nico
."

"Do you want me to stop?"

"Are you crazy?"

Amazingly, he smiled. Then he smeared another ribbon of chocolate down her neck and then slid his hand under her apron and into her top.

He'd expected her to protest, or to pull away. He was thrilled when she just moaned and rubbed herself against his erection.

He nibbled her skin as his fingers played with her nipple. His other hand trailed down to the waistband of her pants, undid the zipper, and slipped his hand under silky panties.

"I feel like someone should point out that this is a mistake," she said breathlessly.